Idaho Legislature Approves Medicaid Bills

The Idaho House on Tuesday approved a bill (HB 776) that would make changes to the state's Medicaid program, the Spokane Spokesman-Review reports. According to the Spokesman-Review, the bill would divide Medicaid beneficiaries into three categories -- low-income children and adults; the elderly; and disabled beneficiaries -- and tailor rules and benefits toward each group. While the bill lays out the framework for the program, other pieces of legislation will make more specific changes. In related news, the Senate on Tuesday approved a bill that would allow Medicaid beneficiaries with disabilities to work without losing coverage by paying premiums on a sliding scale. The joint budget committee on Tuesday approved a Medicaid budget that includes funding for the program and is "designed to fit with the overall recommended reforms," with a 7.8% increase in state spending and a 4.8% increase in total spending, the Spokesman-Review reports. Gov. Dirk Kempthorne (R) said, "Today's action by the Legislature is a strong affirmation of the country's single largest restructuring of the Medicaid program since its inception in 1965." Rep. Kathy Skippen (R) said, "There is a tie between [the budget] and the Medicaid reform. I think a lot of people are working very hard to try to make the system provide for those who need it" (Russell, Spokane Spokesman-Review, 3/15).